A Sabbath Rest?

The word “busyness” is one of those words that easily creates mental images of a life that is filled with non-stop, hurried, and even frantic activity that never seems to end from one day to the next. For some people, busyness speaks of a life that is exciting, stimulating and full of meaning and purpose. Their motto in life is simply “Bring It On!” For others, busyness is something that leaves them frazzled, tense, worried and downright tired, for it holds them captive until they crash into bed at night, like a tree falling in the forest. Their motto when facing life is: “Would someone please help me!” Clearly, the need for balance between busyness and getting sufficient rest is absolutely essential.

The Bible tells us that after God finished creating the world in which we live, He rested. Six days of labour, then rest. But this was not a rest to get away from it all, for God does not get “stressed out” with work. Instead, His rest was for the purpose of enjoyment. God rested to enjoy what He had created! For this reason, the focus of our rest is not necessarily on the day, but on the attitude. A Sabbath rest is an attitude of heart that finds peace and pleasure in both the Lord and all that He has created.

Somehow in our busy lives, there must be a return to a rhythm of living that allows for adequate time to rest. You see, rest will restore your soul. It’s like David says in Psalm 23:2,3, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quite waters, he restores my soul” (NIV). Such a restoration will bring new meaning to life as it slowly eases you out of the rat race we see all around us all the time. Rest has a way of helping us to re-define who we are and what kind of life we are meant to live. This is why the Bible tells us that when God rested on the seventh day, He declared that it was holy (see Gen. 2:3). In other words, rest is a holy occupation that is meant to help us reset our focus on the Lord and His priorities for life. Rest breathes new life into our weariness and renews our interest in living. It brings strength and clarity of purpose, and as David said, it helps restore the soul!